Barty breezes at BMW Malaysian Open
Australian Ash Barty has defeated Chanel Simmonds of South Africa in straight sets in the opening round of the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 February 2013 | tennis.com.au
Australian Ash Barty has defeated Chanel Simmonds of South Africa in straight sets in the opening round of the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.
The 6-4 6-2 win is Barty’s first ever win at WTA level, setting up a second round meeting with Kazakh qualifier Zarina Diyas, a three-set upset winner over eighth seed Kristyna Pliskova.
“My first WTA win! So pumped!! Played well today and looking forward to my match tomorrow,” the Queenslander tweeted after the match.
Barty’s compatriot Olivia Rogowska unfortunately could not match her run to the quarterfinals at this event last year, instead falling 3-6 6-1 6-2 to Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum.
Barty’s serve was the difference in her match against the 171st-ranked Simmonds, a qualifier into the main draw.
She smacked five aces – without committing a double fault – and won an impressive 91 per cent of points on her first serve. She never faced a break point, yet broke Simmonds three times throughout the match.
The 16-year-old wrapped up the win in one hour and seven minutes, taking her head-to-head against the South African to a sparkling 3-0 – all without the loss of a set.